Ameriprise Uses Familiar Faces To Promote Its Brand

A few years ago, Ameriprise launched an ad campaign featuring actor Dennis Hopper, backed by music from the 1960s. It pitched retirement planning and was squarely aimed at Baby Boomers. The campaign was upbeat and humorous, appropriate for a time before the 2008 financial meltdown.

Now Ameriprise is back with a decidedly different tone, more in tune with today's financial environment.

The company has just launched a $30 million ad campaign featuring a few of its 10,000 trusted advisors, some of whom have worked for Ameriprise for decades. It's a down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach focusing on real people, not actors. The campaign uses the tagline, "Our advisors, your dreams. More within reach."

Ameriprise CMO Kim Sharan tells ADWEEK: "Our advisors play an important role in helping our clients plan for life's milestones, whether they're saving for a wedding, sending their children to college or achieving their ideal retirement. They play a central role in their clients' lives and their communities, and are the faces consumers naturally associate with our brand."

The ads are running on network and cable TV, as well as online. Ameriprise is expanding the campaign's reach with videos on its "Ameriprise YouTube channel."

Ameriprise is still trying to build awareness for its name. The company, formerly known as American Express Financial Advisors (and before that as IDS) was spun off as Ameriprise Financial in 2005.

However, the old saying states, "Familiarity breeds contempt." In this case, is Ameriprise making its brand all too human?